Uber driver with gunshot wound found after car crash

CLEARWATER (FOX 13) - An Uber driver was recovering in the hospital Tuesday after he was left shot and bleeding in his car in the middle of Ulmerton Road.

Pinellas deputies said they stopped to check on a white car that had crashed in a construction zone near 40th Street North.

The driver, identified by Pinellas County detectives as Terence Baxter, 33, of Brandon, was unresponsive. Investigators initially thought he'd suffered from a medical issue but later realized he had been shot in the abdomen.

Baxter eventually came to and told deputies he was on duty for Uber early in the morning and had been "jumped."

A spokesperson for Uber, however, told FOX 13 it does not appear Baxter was on a trip at the time of the incident. The company also expressed thoughts and prayers for the victim and his family.

He was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries but deputies now believe he's going to pull through.

The incident hit home for another Uber driver.

"It's sad to hear, but you've heard about that happening to taxi cab drivers for years," said Randy Price, who has been driving for Uber for a year. "The guy who did it didn't get the memo: we don't have any money on us. Everything is done on the phone."

Pinellas detectives have no revealed whether they believe the incident was connected to an Uber trip. It's unclear whether they have any leads. Anyone with information should call the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.